OPENING THE BOX ON WORKPLACE WELL-BEING

A NEW WORKPLACE well-being programme to reverse the trend of increasing stress levels in workplaces is going nationwide.

Best of Today, created by seasoned executive coach Anna Gibbons, helps cultivate positive mental health within workplaces, which is proven to minimise stress, increase productivity, increase creativity, and give workplaces a positive reputation. Gibbons says that 91 percent of employees at companies that support well-being say they feel motivated to do their best.

A number of national and global companies across diverse industries have already subscribed to Best of Today, including Kiwi companies in the legal and industrial products sectors, and global companies in the FMCG and agricultural sectors.

“Worryingly in 2016, stress in New Zealand workplaces increased by almost a quarter from the year before, with an estimated 6.6 million workdays lost through absenteeism,” says Gibbons. “Not every workplace is prioritising well-being.”

Gibbons says the eight-week Best of Today programme highlights areas that are often neglected but require attention for well-being: communication and connection, knowing and living your values and purpose, cultivating mindfulness, and getting back to the basics of sleeping, eating and exercising.

“We know we’re supposed to spend less time looking at screens and more time connecting with ourselves and with others,” says Gibbons. “But in modern environments, this is harder and harder to do. The greatest gift an employer can give is time for employees to pause during the workday, to show their people they care about them.

“That’s why physical boxes, delivered to participants throughout the programme, are a fundamental component of Best of Today. These are filled with tools, techniques, and gifts that help people put everything into practice, both at work and beyond,” Gibbons says.

Pic’s Peanut Butter was one of the first companies to take up the challenge, with founder Pic Picot saying he recommends the programme wholeheartedly.

“We’re very keen to make sure everybody is being heard, and to do anything we can to make people’s lives better,” Picot says. “Best of Today has been one of the real groundbreakers in doing that.”